The new new waterfront

Squamish re-launches Oceanfront Planning Process

Change can be pretty exhausting, planning for it all the more
so. Poised once again to re-launch its Oceanfront Planning Process (OPP), the
District of Squamish is something of a microcosm for that fatigue.

On page two of the staff report detailing the new strategy,
confusion, urgency and frustration are all keywords, but, says district
director of planning Cameron Chalmers, all that is about to change.

“What you’ll see today is a really good road map,” he said
minutes before last Tuesday’s district strategy session. “What council heard in
the past is they really need a more active engagement in the process.”

Plans for a revitalized oceanfront have been kicking around district
desks for years. At one time in the town’s history, the oceanfront was the seat
of its identity: blue collar and industrial. The planning department still sees
it as a potential character asset, but, rather than carrying the brownfield
brand, it will be a stage for the live, work and play principle shaping much of
Squamish’s planning literature.

To that end, years ago, the Squamish Oceanfront Development
Corporation (SODC) was formed. A concept plan came together in 2004, joint
ventures were explored and lost, and, in the words of the report, the process
unfolded in “fits and starts.”

In March 2008, the district hired consultant HB Lanarc
(formerly Holland Barrs, a district favourite) to stoke a new fire, and, along
with Chalmers, representatives of the firm presented the new vision to council
last Tuesday.

“It’s such a critical piece of land for your community,” said
consultant Peter Whitelaw. “People aren’t interested in going back to square
one. We’ve got to be steady and consistent, keep this thing in front of
council.”

Strategically speaking, the crucial difference between the old
and the new is council direction and public consultation. The reins are no
longer in the firm grip of the SODC, which is currently without a CEO. Rather,
council direction will be actively sought.

And stakeholder consultation is central to the new strategy.
According to the plan, the landowners and the public will have equal access to
the director’s chair, and, rather than simply inviting the public to a hotel
conference room, proactive outreach measures will be explored, including
avenues like Facebook. Funding, meanwhile, will be up to the landowners.

The whole thing is set for a public launch on June 28 at
Pavilion Park.

Throughout the presentation, political and planning themes that
partially define this council surfaced again and again. Some were positive:
There’s an interest in district energy systems and affordable housing, as well
as mixed-use development that creates jobs and culture. Others, meanwhile, were
negative. Councillor Corrine Lonsdale felt staff devised the new strategy
independent of political direction, a common complaint of hers that Chalmers
flatly denied.

“I want to try and break down that barrier where we come to you
and say this is our list,” he said after Lonsdale’s outburst.

Schisms between Mayor Ian Sutherland and Lonsdale are common
fare, and the outgoing leader attempted to keep the conversation focused on the
new process. Councillor Raj Kahlon also clashed with Sutherland.

And yet, the plan was well received. Councillor Mike Jenson,
speaking much longer than he usually does, empathized with the oceanfront
file’s apparent stagnation and welcomed the new approach.

“All I can say is there’s been so much change in the
community,” he said. “Like, concrete development. When the community started
thinking about this four years ago, there wasn’t so much development.”

Specifically, he mentioned developer Westmana’s mirEau
building, a waterfront project for which the rezoning recently received third
reading.